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Marny Xiong
Marny Xiong was an at-large representative on the Saint Paul Public Schools school board in Minnesota. Xiong won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017. She held office until her death on June 7, 2020.[1]
On May 8, 2020, Xiong's sister Amee posted publicly on Facebook that Xiong had tested positive for COVID-19 and was critically ill.[2] Xiong died on June 7, 2020, due to complications related to COVID-19.[1]
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Saint Paul Public Schools school board in Minnesota were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents John Brodrick and Jeanelle Foster won election, along with newcomer Marny Xiong. The challengers who lost were Luke Bellville, Greg Copeland, Andrea Touhey.[3]
Results
| Saint Paul Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Marny Xiong |
30.44% | 36,480 |
| Jeanelle Foster Incumbent |
24.93% | 29,883 |
| John Brodrick Incumbent |
21.84% | 26,172 |
| Andrea Touhey | 11.09% | 13,288 |
| Greg Copeland | 7.03% | 8,425 |
| Luke Bellville | 3.64% | 4,358 |
| Write-in votes | 1.04% | 1,244 |
| Total Votes | 119,850 | |
| Source: Saint Paul Public Schools, "Minutes Of The Regular Meeting Of The Board Of Education," November 14, 2017 | ||
Funding
Xiong reported $24,692.30 in contributions and $17,738.72 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Elections & Voting Office, which left her campaign with $6,953.58 on hand in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Xiong was endorsed by the following organizations:[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
- AFSCME Minnesota Council 5
- St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL)
- St. Paul Federation of Teachers
- St. Paul Regional Labor Federation
- StarTribune
- Stonewall DFL Caucus
- Twin Cities Pioneer Press
- womenwinning
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Marny Xiong participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[12] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 8, 2017:
| “ | I believe that education is the only opportunity for low-income students and students of color to get out of poverty and build capacity and power for themselves. We must invest in our youth and young people because they are the leaders of tomorrow. I want all of our students to graduate SPPS ready to succeed in college and the workforce. I want safe learning environments for students and staff so that teachers can inspire their students’ aspirations. I want an equitable school district where resources, funding, and policies are prioritized to uplift all our students equitably. I am excited to bring to the board my experience as a school manager working at a school where the majority of our students live below the poverty line and come from communities of color. I will also bring in 10+ years of experience as a community organizer to the Saint Paul School Board. I am committed to ensure our education system reflects the values of all our communities and that our students are at the center of it all.[13][14] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Minnesota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Our first priority needs to be about our students and their success. Therefore, closing the achievement gap should be at the center of our work to uplift all our students.[14] | ” |
| —Marny Xiong (October 8, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. The school board is an elected board that represents the people. Therefore, the state sets the baseline, but each school district is unique and should be directed by the elected school board. The elected school board represents and is accountable to the people. However, both the state and the school board should work in partnership with one another. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests do not reflect a student's intelligence. It should only be used to guide educators on what curriculum and teaching strategies are needed to better engage students. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. I believe that education is a given right, and it's about students at the center. A voucher or scholarship system dismantles a student's right to receive a high quality education. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should only be used in extreme situations after multiple interventions and strategies are exhausted. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Student-teacher ratio. If there's an option for all of the above, I believe every option provided affects a student's success in the classroom. We need to ensure that our curriculum is engaging to students, teachers can relate to students by building relationships with them, parents are involved and informed of their child's education, school administrators understand and support parents/students/staff, and we promote small student-to-teacher ratios to allow space for teachers to teach and students to learn. |
Noteworthy events
On May 8, 2020, Xiong's sister Amee posted publicly on Facebook that Xiong had tested positive for COVID-19 and was critically ill. Xiong died on June 7, 2020.[1][2]
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|---|
| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
|
COVID-19, also known as coronavirus disease 2019, is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The first confirmed case of the disease in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020. For more of Ballotpedia's coverage of the coronavirus impact on political and civic life, click here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Marny Xiong Saint Paul Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 KARE11, "Marny Xiong, St. Paul School Board Chairwoman, Dies of COVID-19 at 31," June 8, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "St. Paul school board chairwoman in critical condition with COVID-19," May 8, 2020
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2017 Municipal and School District Elections," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ Ramsey County Elections & Voting Office, "2017 Campaign Finance Reports," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "First candidates file for St. Paul school board election," August 1, 2017
- ↑ StarTribune, "Editorial endorsement: Two incumbents and a first-time candidate are best bets in St. Paul," October 24, 2017
- ↑ Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, "Endorsed Candidates," accessed October 27, 2017
- ↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "For St. Paul School Board, Foster, Xiong, Brodrick," October 19, 2017
- ↑ AFSCME Minnesota Council 5, "AFSCME Endorsed Candidates," accessed October 27, 2017
- ↑ Stonewall DFL Caucus, "Stonewall DFL Endorses in Minneapolis Park Board, Saint Paul School Board, Bloomington and Saint Louis Park City Council Races," accessed October 27, 2017
- ↑ womenwinning, "2017 Endorsed Candidates," accessed October 27, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Marny Xiong's responses," October 8, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Saint Paul Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Ramsey County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, John Brodrick • Incumbent, Jeanelle Foster • Luke Bellville • Greg Copeland • Andrea Touhey • Marny Xiong |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
